With the announcement that Ms. Sarah Quin would be leaving Ramaz, the college guidance office launched a search for a new college advisor to fill the vacancy. According to Ms. Shulman, the process began with advertising the position, after which the first round of interviews “didn’t turn up anyone who we thought was going to be the best fit.” However, a second round of interviews yielded several promising candidates for the position. Of those candidates, three were asked to come to Ramaz for a second interview, at which point they also met with groups of faculty and students.

The origin of these group meetings dates back to when Ms. Quin was interviewing for her former position. “When Ms. Quin came three years ago, she had requested the opportunity to meet with some faculty and students, so initially, the incentive for doing it was for the candidate’s benefit,” explained Ms. Shulman. “We wanted to give the applicants an opportunity to get a sense of the community.” Additionally, these panels yielded helpful feedback in deciding which candidate should ultimately be hired. “We tried to have some of the same people meet as many candidates as possible so that we could get comparative feedback,” Ms. Shulman added.

During these meetings, the candidates and students had the opportunity to get to know each other and ask each other questions. Candidates asked students about their favorite parts of Ramaz, what they would change if they could, their impressions of the school’s overall culture, and specifically their thoughts on the current state of college guidance. Students questioned the candidates about their backgrounds, their methods for helping each student find the perfect school for them, and how they would respond to different challenges students face in the college admissions process.

“It was an interesting move to have students interview a prospective college advisor because she probably got a more accurate feel for the school,” said Elizabeth Aufzien ’19, one of the students who met with the candidates. “Also, we could see whether she was a good fit for the focus group, which is likely indicative of whether she’d be a good fit for the school. It doesn’t really affect me, but it demonstrates that the school cares about our opinions. It was great to help my friends in other grades so they have the smoothest possible college application process.”

“I really appreciated being a part of the process, especially knowing that the person I was meeting with might potentially be my advisor,” said Sophia Kremer ’20, whose college advisor was Ms. Quin. Ms. Shulman extended her gratitude to all those who participated in the vetting process noting that the school really appreciates all the people who volunteered to make “an investment in the future of the school.” Ms. Shulman added, “It’s a sacrifice, and we don’t discount that, so we appreciate it.”

After this months-long search process, the college guidance office recently announced that Ms. Abby Davis would become Ramaz’s new Associate Director of College Guidance. Mr. Blumenthal describes Ms. Davis, the now former Associate Director of Admissions at Cooper Union, as “brilliant and attentive to students’ needs” and suggested that “her warmth and approachability [will] make her a great member of our advising team.”